Kit McDonough

Letting Go -- Love never lets go

American Heart -- A newly released convict tries to rebuild his life.

It took heart to grow up on the streets. It took guts to survive five years in prison. Now Jack Kelson is getting out and he has only three goals: get a room, get a job, and get to Alaska where the air is clean and a man can start fresh again. But Jack never stopped to consider that his 14-year-old son Nick has a dream too, the dream of being with the only family he knows, his dad.

Sam Dawson has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old and works at a Starbucks. He has a daughter with a homeless woman; she abandons them as soon as they leave the hospital.

Director Martin Bell's unsentimental drama chronicles the volatile relationship of fresh-out-of-prison Jack Kelson (Jeff Bridges) and his estranged adolescent son, Nick (Edward Furlong), as they try to make a connection while living on Seattle's fringes. But the two lost souls find themselves drawn into life on the streets when the irresponsible Jack falls back on old habits. Bridges delivers a bravura performance, which Furlong matches.

A newly released convict tries to rebuild his life.

A newly released convict tries to rebuild his life.

It took heart to grow up on the streets. It took guts to survive five years in prison. Now Jack Kelson is getting out and he has only three goals: get a room, get a job, and get to Alaska where the air is clean and a man can start fresh again. But Jack never stopped to consider that his 14-year-old son Nick has a dream too, the dream of being with the only family he knows, his dad.

Sam Dawson has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old and works at a Starbucks. He has a daughter with a homeless woman; she abandons them as soon as they leave the hospital.

It took heart to grow up on the streets. It took guts to survive five years in prison. Now Jack Kelson is getting out and he has only three goals: get a room, get a job, and get to Alaska where the air is clean and a man can start fresh again. But Jack never stopped to consider that his 14-year-old son Nick has a dream too, the dream of being with the only family he knows, his dad.